Distributing machine



June 10, 1958 c. b. LAKE ET AL DISTRIBUTING MACHINE s Sheets-Shet 1Filed Dec. 8, 1954 S M FMdY .TE E NK EAM VLP O m. T D M E A ML AS E mw YB mm mm June 10, 1958 Y c. D. LAKE ETAL 2,838,175

DISTRIBUTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 2 SORT CHECKINGINVENTORS CLAIR D. LAKE WESLEY PFAFF ATTORN EY June 10, 1958 c. D. LAKEETAL DISTRIBUTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 8, 1954 owmm ommmllL-lllrll ZLIII llll .l-lll ommm CARD PASSED CARD LEVER I'll VII.

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I'Plln 00mm on Nmm INVEN CLAIR D- LAKE Pmmk mohom mmo 5 I mDmm omjm omNmN OWN omwvm mmm QWNON 00m? omNQ 0mm: onmz 00m omNw om QQNN 0O mmwmwmaUnited States Patent DISTRIBUTING MACHINE Clair D. Lake, Binghamton, andWesley Pfaif, Endicott, N. Y., assignors to International BusinessMachines Corporation, New York N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication December 8, 1954, Serial No. 473,944

14 Claims. c1. 209 110 This invention relates to record controlledrecord distributing machines and more particularly to a pocket selectingmechanism for selecting the proper pocket into which a record is to bedeposited.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel andimproved selecting mechanism for selecting the distributing pockets towhich the records are'to be conveyed.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved pocket selectingmechanism which can be operated at a high rate of speed.

' A further object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanismfor operating sort checking contacts.

Briefly, the distributing mechanism of the present invention includes aplurality of distributing blades with their ends disposed progressivelyalong the path of travel of the record cards to be sorted. A deflectorlever having an abutment head is provided for each blade and is normallypositioned with the head projecting into the path of an advancing card.A card lever is located behind each deflector lever and normally extendsinto the path of an oncoming card. The deflector levers are timed tomove their heads out of the path of the card by. .cam action-atdifferential times. When a designation in a card is sensed by the sortsensing brush, a magnet is energized to move a locking plate beneaththose deflector levers which have not been depressed, thereby lockingthem in place. The advancing card engages the abutment head of the firstlocked lever which defleets it over the related blade for distributionto the proper pocket. -Each' card lever behind the deflector levers isdepressed upon engagement by the card to operice Fig. 5 is a timingdiagram which can be followed to understand the operations of variousmechanical and electrical devices shown herein.

The invention is shown as applied to a distributing machine of theelectrically controlled type which is known as the IBM Electric SortingMachine. This machine is well known in the art and its various detailsof construction and manner of operation are disclosed in Patent No.2,615,569, issued October 28, 1952, to C. D. Lake et a1. Since theaforesaid patent describes the machine in detail, it is unnecessary togive more than a very brief description of the general features herein,except to point out wherein the improvements of the present inventionare applied.

A group of record cards which may consist of the usual IBM cardsdesignated 20 (Fig. l) is placed in a magazine and removed one at a timefrom the bottom of the magazine by a picker 21 mounted on a slide 22 andactuated by arms 23, the latter being fixed to a shaft 24 journalled inthe frame work. A link 25 pivoted to one of the arms 23 is alsopivotally connected to a crank pin 26 carried by a crank arm 27 on ashaft 28 which is driven at a rate of one revolution per card cyclethrough the usual spiral gearing (not shown) connecting shaft 28 and themain drive shaft of the machine. Each record card advance from themagazine by the picker 21 is engaged by a pair of feed rollers 30,driven by spiral gearing from the main drive shaft and is fed by theserollers to the left to pass a sensing brush 31 which coacts with acontact roll 32 to sense data designating perforations in the records.

As the record card passes beneath the sensing brush 31, it also passesover a series of deflector levers 33 and card levers 41 and beneath theupturned ends of distributing blades 34 leading to the usual receivingpockets (not shown) of which thirteen may he provided,

twelve to correspond with the 12 index point positions in the columns ofthe record cards and one for records having no perforations in theparticular column sensed by the brush 31. The latter pocket is commonlytermed the reject pocket. Suitable feed rollers, like 35 and 36 drivenfrom the main drive shaft through suitable spiral gears, serve to conveythe cards to the various pockets selected by operation of a magnet 60,such records being guided to the appropriate pockets by the distributingblades 34. The lower rollers 36 are secured on a shaft 29 whichconstantly rotates a camshaft 40 (Fig. 3) to make one revolution eachcard cycle through worm and worm wheel 56.

The features of novelty of the present invention reside in theconstruction and operation of the pocket selecting mechanism andchecking device therefor. These devices are mounted in a sub-framecomprising end plates 57 and the'accompanying drawings which disclose,by way ofv examples, the principle of the invention and th e'best mode,which has been contemplated, of applying that principle. a g

' In the drawings: Fig; l is a vertical longitudinal sectionalview ofthe portion of a distributing machine in which the invention maybeembodied.

58 (Fig. l) and bed plate 59 which supports the record cards advancingthrough the selecting mechanism. The deflector levers 33 and card levers41 normally extend above the card line through openings located in bedplate 59. A deflector lever 33 having an abutment hen-:1.

eye.

is provided for each distributing blade These levers are pivotallymounted on a common rod 37 (Fig. 3) and are normally positioned with theabutment heads extending into the path of an advancing card above thecard line.

Each lever 33 has aprojection 33b which is held against the surface of arelated cam 38 under pressure of a spring 39. These cams are secured onthe shaft 40 and are timed to allow their related deflector levers 33 todrop below the card line before being engaged by an advancing card. Acard lever 41 is located behind each' deflector lever and carries aninsulating block 42. The levers 41 are formed with bent over extensions41a and are pivotally mounted on the rod 37. They are normally heldagainst a stop plate 43 under pressure of springs 44 with theirextensions 41:: in the path of an advancing card. Embedded in aninsulating block 45 are two rows of contactors 46 and 47. Extendingthrough rectangular openings 47a in contactors 47 are wire contactsprings 48. The upper ends of these wires are hooked as shown in Fig. 3with the hooks extending through separate holes 49:: in a plate 49.Plate 49 is positioned on the top of block 45 and held thereto by theupper screw Elli. The plate is provided with an elongated hole 4H), sothat before the screw 59 is tightened, the plate 49 may be moved to theleft or right to decrease or increase the pressure against the upperends of the wires 43 With the plate 4? bearing against the left sides ofthe wires and the sides of openings 47a in contactors 47 also bearingagainst the left side of the wires, the lower or free ends thereof willbebiased towards the left with the lower ends of the wires engagingcontactors The insulating blocks .2 on levers ii are provided with ahole 42a through which the wires extend. When a lever 41 is .rovedcounterclockwise fr m the position shown in Fig. 3

' the wire is engaged by the left side of hole 42a and pulled with camfollower arms 51:: which are held against a set of cooperating cams 55under the influence of springs 54. These cams are secured on the shaft4%) which is constantly rotated as previously explained and are sotimedas to permit the related latches 51 to move upwardly into latchingengagement with the co-rrespondingcard lever 41 which has been displacedcounterclockwise as shown in the solid line position of 3. if the cardlever has not been displaced, the latch points of both lever 41 andlatch 51 remain in abutting position.

The deflecting action of the levers 33 is under control of the magnet 6dwhich has an armature 61. A locking plate 62 is carried by the armatureon its upper end and is adapted to move under a series of proiections33c extending from the undersidesof levers 33 upon energizetion of themagnet 6%. This plate 62 is moved under the deflector levers 33remaining in the path of an advancing card as shown in Fig. 3 andprevents them from being displaced. The projections 33c are so formedthat the displaced levers 33 do not interfere with locking movement ofplate 62. When the card encounters the head 33:: of the first lockedlever 33, it is deflected upwardly to pass over the related distributingblade 34 and directed to the selected pocket.

The armature 61 of magnet 6% is restored to normal position by aknockoff arm 63 having a camming surface 630: (Fig. 4). The arm 63 isfastened on a shaft 64 which is mounted for rotation in sub-frame plates57 and 58' (Fig. l). A lever 65 is also fastened on shaft 64 to normallyhold arm 63 away from engagement with the armature 61 by pressure of aspring 66. 'Lever 65 carries a stud 67 which cooperates with a stopmember 63 (Fig. 3) extending from a support bracket 69 to limit thetravel of arm 63 under influence of the spring 66. An actuating arm 76is pivoted on a stud 71 and is pivotally connected to the lever 65 by alink 72. The constantly rotating shaft 239 carries a cumming member 73which is positioned to engage a flange Ma projecting outwardly from thearm 70 near the end of each cycle. The shaft 64- is rocked by thisengagement in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, and thesurface 63a of arm 63 pushes the armature 61. away from the pole face ofthe magnet 60, thereby restoring the armature. A screw 74 extendsloosely through an opening in the armature and is secured in a block 75supported on a bracket 76. This screw is adjustable through a lock nut77 and serves as a stop to limit the clockwise movement of the armature.

Operation of the device The ends of the blades 34 (Fig. l) are sodisposed relative to the sensing brush 31 that when, for example, an 8hole in the record card is sensed, the leading edge of the record cardin which the hole appears will occupy a position approximatelyone-quarter the distance between the end of the blade 34 leading to the8 pocket and the end of the blade leading to the 9 pocket.

Referring now to the timing diagram of Fig. 5, the leading edge of thecard will ride over the abutment head of deflector lever 33 for the 9pocket which has dropped below the card line by 19 when the lever dropsfrom the rise of its cam 33 under pressure of its spring 39. In Fig. 5the dotted lines-show the drop off points for the cams in each pocketposition. At 29 the advancing card will start to depress the card lever61 for the 9 pocket against the pressure of its spring 44- which holdsthe lever against the stop plate 43. The latch point ofv the lever 4i isthus moved counterclockwise (Fig. 3) past the latching point of therelated latching member 5!. which moves upwardly at 34 under influenceof its spring 54 to latch the'card lever 41. This latching action iscompleted by 38 and causes the wire 48 to be held out of engagement withthe related contactor 46 until after the test impulse is made asexplained hereinafter.

When the 8 hole in the card is read by the brush 31, the magnet 60 isenergized and the armature 61 is pulled toward the pole face of themagnet. This movement of the armature positions the locking plate 62under the projections 33b of all the levers 33 which have not droppedbelow the card line as shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 5 it is seen that thelever 33 for the 8" pocket has not dropped at the time that the 8 holeis sensed and this lever is locked in place along with the deflector.

levers for the pockets in the remaining index positions. When theleading edge of the card engages the abutment head 33a of this lever,the lever is held firmly in position by the locking plate and the cardis deflected upwardly between the 8 and 9 blades 34. The rollers 35 and36 then convey the card to the 8 pocket. The card levers 41 followingthe 8 deflector lever will not be depressed because the card .is raisedabove the card line and their associated wires 48 remain in contact withthe contactors 46.

v The checking contactors 46 and 47 are connected by wires78 and 79respectively in a well known sort checking circuit of the type shown.and described in the aforementioned U. S. Patent No. 2,615,569 grantedto C. D. Lake et a1. Attention is particularly directed to Fig. 48g ofthe drawings and columns 65 through 67 of the de: scription. After 12time in the sorting cycle, a test impulse is supplied through thecontactors 46 at approximately 28 8 and endures until 300 (Fig. 5). Thecon-- tactors 46 correspond to the contact segments a of the structureshown in the patent.

At approximately 305 the knock off arm 63 engages the magnet armature 61to push it away from the pole face of the magnet 60. This restoringmovement of the armature removes the plate 62 from the locking positionbeneath deflector lever projections 330 to release them for actuation onthefollowing cycle. The armature is fully restored by.330 of the cycle.All deflector levers 33 which have dropped are restored by positiveaction of their related cams 38 starting at 315 and being fully restoredby 353. All latching members 51 which have been tripped by depression oftheir related card levers 41 are restored in a rippling movement by cams53 beginning M330 and ending at 356 for the latching memher in the 9"pocket position as shown in Fig. 5. The restoring of a latching membercauses it to disengage from its related card'lev'e'r 41, therebyallowing the card lever to restore under'pre'ssure of its spring 44.Each following latch meniber'and card lever is restoredin the next cycleof operation one cycle-point after the preceding member" and card leversis not shown in Fig. 5, it being understood that their movement is thesame as the movement of the member and lever in the 9 position. Thisrestoring action of the card levers 41 occurs during the time that thecard levers are uncovered by the trailing edge of a card and the leadingedge of the following card to prevent any lifting of the card above thecard line while it passes beneath the distributing blades 34.

The sensing of a 9 hole by the brush 31 causes the deflector lever forthe 9 pocket to be locked in position in a similar manner to thatdescribed above for the 8 pocket and the card is deflected upwardly topass over the top blade for eventual deposit in the 9 pocket. In theinstance where the card is blank and no perforation is sensed by brush31, the magnet 60 is not energized and the card passes beneath all ofthe distributing blades 34 for deposit in the reject pocket.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferredembodiment, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the deviceillustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in theart, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is theintention, therefore, to be limited only asindicated by the scope of thefollowing claims.

' What is claimed is: V

1. In, a distributing mechanism, a plurality of distributing memberswith their ends disposed progressively along the path of travel of arecord element to be sorted, means for feeding an element to pass saidends, a plurality of movable deflectors cooperating with relatedmembers, means for supporting said deflectors so that each of saiddeflectors is normally located in the path of said element and is movedout of the path of said element when the element reaches the deflector,and means operable at a selected instant for locking a selecteddeflector against movement and in the path of said element, whereby saidelement is deflected for guidance by a selected member.

2. In a distributing mechanism, a plurality of distributing blades withtheir ends disposed progressively along the path of travel of a recordcard to be sorted, means for feeding a card to pass said ends, aplurality of movable deflectors cooperating with related blades, a rodfor pivotally supporting said deflectors so that each of said deflectorsis normally located in the path of said card and is moved out of thepath of said card when the card reaches the deflector, and meansoperable at a selected instant for locking a selected deflector againstmovement and in the path of said card, whereby said card is deflectedfor guidance over a selected blade.

3. In a distributing mechanism, a plurality of distributing blades withtheir ends disposed progressively along the path of travel of a recordcard to be sorted, means for feeding a card to pass said ends, aplurality of movable levers, a deflector head carried by each lever,

means for supporting said levers so that each of said heads is normallylocated in the path of said card and is moved out of the path of saidcard when the card reaches the head, and means operable at a selectedinstant for locking a selected lever against movement to maintaincertain of said heads in the path of said card, whereby said card isdeflected over a selected blade.

4. In a distributing mechanism, a plurality of distributing members withtheir ends disposed progressively along the path of travel of a recordelement to be sorted, means for feeding an element to pass said ends, aplurality of movable deflectors cooperating with related members andnormally located in the path of said element, means to move saiddeflectors out of the path of said element at differential times, andmeans operable at a selected instant for locking a selected deflectoragainst movement and in the path of said element, whereby said elementis deflected for guidance by a selected member.

5. In a distributing mechanism, a plurality ing blades with their endsdisposed progressively along the path of travel of a record card to besorted, means for feeding a card to pass said ends, a plurality ofmovable deflectors cooperating with related blades and normally locatedabove the card line in the path of said card, means to move saiddeflectors below the card line at differential times; and means operableat a selected instant for locking a selected deflector against movementand in the path of said card, whereby said card is deflected over aselected blade.

6. In a distributing mechanism, a plurality of distributing blades withtheir ends disposed progressively along the path of travel of a recordcard to be sorted, means for feeding a card to pass said ends, aplurality of movable de-' flector levers cooperating with relatedblades, each lever normally projecting above the card line into the pathof said card, a series of cam elements for operatively engaging saidlevers to move them below the card line at dilferential times, and meansoperable at a selected instant for.

locking a selected lever against movement and in the path of said card,whereby said card is deflected over a selected blade.

7. In a distributing mechanism, a plurality of distributing blades withtheir ends disposed progressively along the path of travel of a recordcard to be sorted, means for feeding a card 'to pass said ends, aplurality of movable levers, a deflector head carried by each lever,said deflector heads normally projecting above the card line into thepath of said card, means to move said levers at differential times,whereby said heads are lowered below the card line, and means operableat a predetermined time for locking said levers against movement tomaintain cer-' I tain of said heads in the path of said card, wherebysaid card is deflected over a selected blade.

8. In a distributing mechanism, a plurality of distributing blades withtheir ends disposed progressively along the path of travel of a recordcard to be sorted, means for feeding a card to pass said ends, aplurality of movable deflector levers cooperating with related blades,each lever normally projecting into the path of said card, a series ofcam elements for operatively engaging said levers to move them out ofthe path of said card at differential times, a movable plate for lockinga selected lever against movement and in the path of said card, andmeans for controlling the movement of said plate, said means beingoperable at a selected instant to move said plate to locking position,whereby said card is deflected over a selected blade.

9. In a machine for distributing differing record elements, means forsensing the differences in said elements, a plurality of distributingmembers with their ends disposed progressively along the path of travelof said elements, means for feeding said elements to pass said ends, aplurality of movable deflectors cooperating with related members andnormally located in the path of said elements, means to move saiddeflectors out of the path of said elements at diflerential times, andmeans responsive to the sensing of a difference on an element by saidsensing means for locking a selected deflector against movement and inthe path of said element, whereby said element is deflected for guidanceby a selected member.

10. In a record card distributing machine, means to feed record cardshaving data representations, means for sensing said representations, aplurality of distributing blades with their ends disposed progressivelyalong the path of travel of said cards, means for feeding said cards topass said ends, a plurality of movable deflectors cooperating withrelated blades and normally located above the card line in the path ofsaid cards, means to move said deflectors-below the card line atdifierential times, and means responsive to the sensing of arepresentation on a card by said sensing means for locking certain ofsaid deflectors of distribut g 7 against movement and in the'path ofsaid card, whereby said card-is deflected over a selected blade.

11. In a machine for distributing record cards having a column ofindic'ia positions, said positions being spaced at regular intervalsalong said column, means to feed said cards, means for sensing anindicium in said column, a plurality of distributing blades with theirends disposed progressively along the path of travel of said cards, aplurality of movable deflector levers cooperating with related bladesand normally located above the card line in the path of said cards,means to move said levers below the card line at diflerential times, andmeans operable at a selected instant in response to the sensing of saidindicium on a card by said sensing means for locking certain of saidlevers against movement and in the path of said card, whereby said cardis deflected over a selected blade.

12. In a distributing mechanism, a plurality of distributing memberswith their ends disposed progressively along the path of travel of arecord element to be sorted, means for feeding an element to pass saidends, a plurality of movable deflectors cooperating with related membersand normally located in the path of said element, a plurality of movablelevers, one lever being positioned near each deflector and normallyprojecting into the path of said element, a checking contact for eachlever, means to move said deflectors out of the path of said element atdifferential times to permit said element to pass freely under saidends, means operable at a selected instant for looking a selecteddeflector against movement and in the path of said element, whereby saidelement is deflected over a selected member, means for holding saidlevers in the path of said element, certain of said levers being movedsuccessively out of the path of said element upon engagement by saidelement until the element is raised by the locked deflector, wherebyonly certain related contacts are operated.

1-3. The mechanism as claimed in cl'aim 12, in whicha latchis-associated with each lever and dilferentially timed moving means isprovided to operate thelatches seriatum, whereby the levers which havebeen moved out of the path of the element are held in latchingengagement by arelated latch.

14. In a distributing mechanism having aplurality of distributing bladeswith their ends disposed progressively along the path of travel of arecord card to be sorted, means for feeding a card to pass said ends, aplurality of movable deflectors cooperating with related blades andnormally located above the card line in the path of the leading edge ofsaid card, a plurality of movable card levers, one lever beingpositioned near each deflector and normally projecting above the cardline in the path of the leading edge of said card, a checking contactfor each lever, means to move said deflectors below the card line atdiflerential times to permit said card to pass freely under said bladeends, means operable at a selected instant for locking a selecteddeflector against movement and in the path of the leading edge of saidcard, whereby said card is deflected over a selected blade, means forholding said levers in the path of the leading edge of said card,certain of said levers being moved successively below the card line uponengagement by the leading edge of said card until the card is raised bythe locked deflector, whereby only certain related contacts areoperated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

